Chapter 66 - A Deserved Victory
The result was already decided.
"Aaaargh!"
Yafenon's soldiers were completely mangled, cut down or crushed by the weapons the demons wielded.
"Save me!"
"Gaaaaah!"
The scene was nothing short of a living hell.
Uthor, unwilling to die like this, charged at Clay.
"Die, you traitor to humanityyyyy!"
But his fist couldn't reach Clay.
Thump.
Clay threw the great-axe to him.
"Pick it up."
It was a demeaning gesture, but Uthor didn't care and picked up the great-axe.
"Aaaaaah...!"
Having lost the primeval prayer, the great-axe was now just a fancy axe. Enraged by this fact, Uthor swung the axe.
And,
"Guh."
He knelt and collapsed.
A large gash from the demonic sword's trajectory was now on his body.
"Without the primeval prayer, you're nothing but a beast with no teeth."
Clay mocked him.
"Didn't I warn you about this a long time ago? Not to rely too much on the primeval prayer."
"Y-you bastard."
Uthor spat out a mouthful of blood and glared.
"You have abandoned the way. Elheim will never forgive you."
"That's not something I'd expect to hear from someone who doesn't even truly believe in a god."
Clay swung his demonic sword and looked around.
The cleanup was done.
The demons, with Geshkapo at the front, had quickly swept away Yafenon's soldiers with incredible momentum.
Now, all their eyes were on Clay. On the king who had led them to this battlefield and let them taste victory.
"Uthor."
Clay opened his mouth.
"I already know the answer, but I want to ask one thing."
"Wh-what?"
"Before I died, did you think I had betrayed humanity?"
At that question, Uthor looked momentarily lost.
Then,
"Heh, heh-heh-heh!"
He suddenly let out a laugh and opened his mouth wide.
"Now? Why does that matter!"
"Just tell me."
"I don't know!"
Uthor sneered.
"Your death was none of my business! You were executed through a trial! All I had to do was lead my country! There was no reason for me to reconsider a bastard like you, who was concluded to be a turncoat..."
Thump.
His words ended there.
The mouth that had been shouting loudly was now still.
As his head fell to the ground.
"...But you should have thought about it."
Sheathing the demonic sword he had just swung, Clay raised his gaze from the fallen head.
In the space now filled with silence, only the demons were looking at Clay with fierce eyes. In that perfectly satisfying atmosphere, Clay let out a faint smile.
"Victory."
He raised his sword and shouted.
"Our victory!"
The demons' hesitation, which had been standing in a daze, soon disappeared, and they all raised their weapons and shouted.
"We wonnnn!" "We tore them all apart!" "We wonnnnn!"
Their eyes were on Clay.
"It's all thanks to the Demon King!" "Our era is coming again!" "Long live the Demon King!"
A thunderous cheer.
"Long live the Demon King!"
In that bustling space, Clay looked up at the sky and let out a long sigh.
"Deserved."
This was the praise he should have received long ago.
"I will enjoy it."
Clay's heavy voice settled down like snow amidst their cheers.
Part 2
"Everything happened as you predicted."
The Iser coalition army.
One of the elven soldiers who had joined them approached Yelena and reported.
"The Demon King's army has joined the battle. We also received word that Uthor has been killed."
There was a pursuit team that followed Uthor's retreating forces and relayed the information to those here with a signal.
At the news delivered from them, Yelena remained silent.
"Anything, else?"
At her careful question, the soldier swallowed dryly and replied.
"Yes, the commander of the Demon King's army has been confirmed to be the former hero. Although he should be called the Demon King now."
He had personally led the Demon King's army and crushed Uthor.
'Clay...'
Darkness settled over Yelena's eyes. She barely managed to compose herself. It was none other than her who had brought him out of the Demon King's castle.
It was also her who told him to take whatever he could by using the war between Iser and Yafenon.
But despite all that, Yelena couldn't help but feel a deep sense of despair.
'I, I made it happen.'
Not all of it was her fault. She hadn't been the one to accuse Clay of being a minion of the Demon King.
Clench.
Still, she couldn't help but tightly grip her clothes, overwhelmed by guilt.
"Yelena."
Just then, Tia approached and spoke.
"Let's talk for a moment."
Taking the nodding Yelena to a secluded spot, Tia continued.
"You sent a letter to Clay behind my back, didn't you?"
"Y-yes?"
"Don't worry. I'm not going to hold you accountable."
Tia sighed.
"I was planning to send a letter to Clay on my end anyway. I just let it be when I found out you sent it first."
"How did you..."
"I know how thoroughly the elves maintain their stealth. But Yelena, you also know very well how unstable you are."
Tia met Yelena's gaze and asked.
"It was you, wasn't it? The one who said the Demon King didn't die by Clay's hand."
"!"
Yelena's eyes widened, and she froze. Tia whispered into her ear.
"It's obvious. When the Demon King's castle collapsed and everyone was escaping, you were the last to come out. It means no one but you could have known if the Demon King was alive at that time."
The Demon King, however, was found dead later. In a different location from where he had been at first.
It was a point of doubt, but because of it, it was confirmed that the Demon King hadn't died right away. And that was used as an argument, along with various other evidence, that Clay had deliberately let the Demon King live.
"Because you spoke, Clay was cornered. Just as you knew he would be."
"N-no, that's not true."
Yelena shook her head and her voice trembled.
"I-I just told a priest who was asking what happened what I had seen. If the Demon King had escaped, we had to catch him again. It's the truth."
"Is it, though?"
Tia's expression turned cold.
"It's not like you intentionally handed it over to be used as evidence, is it?"
"Th-that's not true! It isn't! It's the truth!"
"You don't have to feel so wronged."
Tia looked down and let out a deep sigh.
"I know very well that you didn't do it with that intention."
If she had truly had such an intention, she wouldn't have acted so carelessly.
"I just want to tell you that everything is already irreversible."
Clay was tried and sentenced to death. He was even executed and buried underground. It was a fact that during that process, whether someone intended it or not, an irreversible outcome had been created.
"I won't question the actions you took. Or the ones you will take in the future. As long as they are for Clay's sake."
Clay could never go back to being the hero he once was. Regret, anguish, and deep despair were all that was left for his former comrades. But it was their karma. The just desserts for those who let Clay fall like that.
"Don't try to carry this burden alone. We are all in the same boat."
Tia took Yelena's hands. At her hands that gently wrapped around her own, Yelena bowed her head and bit her lip.
Plink.
On the ground, where Yelena's face cast a shadow, tear stains began to appear.
She spoke without showing her crying face to Tia.
"Thank you, Tia. Really... thank you."
Relief.
Her body sagged as the tension left her.
"Your Majesty."
As Tia was quietly looking at her, Lilien, the commander of the Imperial Knights, approached and reported.
"It seems the Demon King's army is heading towards Yafenon's capital."
"Towards Yafenon's capital?"
"Yes, it seems they intend to absorb Yafenon's territory as their own."
At that, Tia was silent for a moment and stared into the air. Lilien looked at her, wearing a thoughtful expression, and a question mark appeared above his head. Tia suddenly gave an order to Lilien.
"Lilien, prepare to go to Marfain immediately."
"Yes? To Marfain?"
Only a short time had passed since the battle ended. It was too much of a burden to go directly to Marfain when they also had to observe how Krata would move.
"Your Majesty, fighting a continuous battle is not a good idea. If Marfain finds out what happened to Yafenon, they could bring in the entire Holy Empire Alliance, including Krata."
"I know. But we won't be fighting any battles."
Tia turned to Lilien.
"We will move under the pretext of seeking help from other alliance nations after being attacked by Yafenon. Of course, since we're bringing our army, Marfain will be at a loss inside their walls. The time wasted like that is what we need right now."
"Your Majesty, surely not..."
The Demon King's army needed time. Even if they killed the king and immediately struck at the heart of Yafenon, everything could be for naught if other alliance nations suddenly showed up.
So, Tia was trying to buy them time. At least enough time for the Demon King's army to set up a base and settle down in Yafenon.
"We could be misunderstood."
Lilien swallowed dryly.
"If we are misunderstood as siding with the Demon King's army, we will also be in a difficult situation."
"Lilien."
Tia said firmly.
"I am the Saint."
A savior on par with the hero.
"And a Saint who appeared when the hero fell."
If others were to see it, the reason for the Saint's appearance now was too obvious.
"They will think I am the one to confront the hero who has become the Demon King."
The exquisite timing would explain everything.
"Even Krata will find it a burden to deal with me. If they aren't fools, they will try to win me over."
"I-I see."
"Yes, so don't worry about being misunderstood and prepare to move. If we delay any longer, we may not be able to do anything."
Tia's voice was full of conviction. However, Lilien couldn't accept Tia's appearance as it was.
'Just by listening to Her Majesty's words, this is not a misunderstanding.'
It was the truth.
Tia was no different than being in an alliance with Clay.
"Your Majesty..."
As Lilien hesitated and was about to speak again,
"Lilien."
Tia spoke first.
"We will use the Demon King's army."
Seeing Lilien's surprised expression, Tia smiled while hiding her true feelings.
"So don't misunderstand. Everything we are doing is just a tightrope walk for our survival. Got it?"
The uncomfortable feeling that she couldn't suppress was about to escape Lilien's mouth, but Tia's smile was as sharp as a blade, pointing at her.
"Yes."
In the end, that was all she could say.